10 Video Game Franchises You Didn't Realise Were Coming Back

What's wonderful about entertainment is that there's always the next thing to look forward to. For every season that us gamers go through where we feel as though there's very little to get our teeth into, there's always one just around the corner where we're spoilt for choice.

Even better is the warm surprises from familiar faces: the unexpected returns of video game franchises that, for just a moment, we forgot how much we loved.

Whilst we work through our backlogs or the most recent releases, the studios behind some of gaming's biggest series are hard at work bringing their beloved characters and worlds back. We might be distracted by what's right in front of us, but there's a lot of awesome stuff to look forward to in the coming year or so.

Now, it's worth saying that the most diehard gamers who feast on the constant influx of stories and online reports are likely aware of most of these. Those with their eyes not as glued to the news feeds though? It's easy to be unaware that these games were announced or revealed because it was either done in such muted fashion or it's been so long that you'd be forgiven for forgetting.

It’s rather incredible that for all of its video game missteps, Sonic the Hedgehog has succeeded on the silver screen to quite the extent that it has. Sega is no doubt ecstatic about the Blue Blur’s box office performances, which may have something to do with the announcement the company made in August 2022.

Partnering with PictureSmart studios, Sega revealed their intentions to bring two unexpected properties to the big-screen with Space Channel 5 and Comix Zone.

Space Channel 5 and its immediate sequel were Dreamcast titles that dripped late 90s weirdness with their characterful take on the music genre. As futuristic reporter Ulala, players take part in dance-based combat against aliens and robots. Whilst the franchise returned after a long hiatus in 2020 with a VR spin-off, it’s mostly been an IP resigned to appearances in the likes of Sega Superstars Tennis and All-Star Racing.

Comix Zone goes much further back to the middle of the Mega Drive era, consisting of just one cutting edge scrolling beat-em-up that starred a writer sucked into the panels of their own art and fighting off a villain of their own creation.

Certainly surprising choices for the big screen but, in a strange way, two that may well work. And if they do? It’s possible that cinema success might mean more sequels for these long overlooked titles from Sega’s back catalogue.